An electro-chemo-mechanical framework for predicting hydrogen uptake in metals due to aqueous electrolytes

Dear iMechanicians, I hope that our latest paper is of interest. We develop an electro-chemo-mechanics framework that enables, for the first time, to quantify hydrogen uptake for any environment. 

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.corsci.2022.110681

An electro-chemo-mechanical framework for predicting hydrogen uptake in metals due to aqueous electrolytes
Tim Hageman, Emilio Martínez-Pañeda
Corrosion Science 208, 110681 (2022)

We present a theoretical and numerical scheme that enables quantifying hydrogen ingress in metals for arbitrary environments and defect geometries. This is achieved by explicitly resolving the electrochemical behaviour of the electrolyte, the hydrogen and corrosion reactions, the kinetics of surface adsorption, and hydrogen uptake, diffusion and trapping in mechanically-deforming solids. This new framework is used to produce maps that relate the absorbed hydrogen with the applied potential, specimen geometry and fluid velocity. We also present simplified versions of our generalised model, and benchmark predictions of these and other existing models against the generalised electro-chemo-mechanical results, establishing regimes of validity.

The code developed (a dedicated COMSOL module, is made freely available and can be downloaded at www.imperial.ac.uk/mechanics-materials/codes/